Operations vs. Programs: What is it good for - Absolutely nothing

As Student Union professionals, we have a common goal: wellbeing of our students. This session will provide an opportunity for participants to learn how to bridge a gap between operations and programs. It will allow programming professionals to better understand operation’s concerns and vice versa. Interactive, role-reversal activity will allow both groups to walk in their colleague’s shoes.

Transcript

1. Carole Desgroppes, Manager, Programs, Marketing and Assessments California State University Dominguez Hills Michal Jankowski, Operations Coordinator California State University Northridge
2. Welcome  Name  Position  Ops vs programs tally  Campus  Why this session?  What do you want to learn?
3. Session outline  Common Purpose  Challenges  Operations  Programs  Recommendations  Group Activity - Discussion  Questions/Comments/Best Practices
4. Common Purpose  One mission: two objectives  “Ultimately, function ties together space, service, and programs. We are a unity of service and space that are greater in sum than in parts. A union is not a conference center, food service, hotel, amusement arcade, or banking center. We are collection of services, spaces, and events that transcend individual limitations to serve the greater mission of ‘developing people as well as intellects.’ In that function we are all programmers and educators.” – David Mucci. “Student Activities versus Operations: An Arbitrary Distinction.” Proceedings of the 70th Annual Conference of the Association of College Unions International, 1990.  High expectations  “As major player on campus that engages the entire community, the college union, more than any other facility, must constantly reinvent itself to keep pace with evolving services and programs (…) As union professionals constantly rethink how to deliver these enhanced programs and services, they are charged with creating space that not only accommodates today’s needs, but also address as yet unknown needs of the future.” – Thomas Kearns. “Flexible Spaces: Strategies for Flexible Design on the Evolving College Campus.” The Bulletin of the Association of College Unions International, May 2003.  Responsibility  Final product
5. Final Product
6. Behind the scenes work
7. Challenges  Operations  Safety/codes  Setting precedence/consistency  Deadlines/last minute changes  Lack of recognition  Resources
8.  Programs  Policies, procedures, red tape  Contracts  Flexibility (last minute celebrities)  Attendance  Communication  Do what we’d like within the space we have  Reservations and set-up Challenges
9. Recommendations  Start with YES; getting to YES  Transparency  Explain how and why things are done  Context  Managers must be on the same page – support each other  Attitude reflects leadership – no blame game  Event planning meetings  Weekly, as needed, big events, etc.  Cross training/job shadowing
10.  Putting programs and operations together/close to each other  “By providing space and support for each group and by providing the groups an opportunity to work together, we are able to assist with the understanding of cultures and their values and problems. It is through understanding that mutual respect develops and genuine positive growth is possible.” - Dallas L. Garber. “How One Union Retains International Students” The Bulletin of the Association of College Unions International, May 1988.  Merging departments/work teams  Hiring staff that have knowledge or background in events  Communication Recommendations cont.
11. Group Activity - Discussion Group Activity - Discussion
12. Questions/Comments/Best Practices  Please share your best practices/ideas  Please share any interesting stories  What is the most important aspect of your work do you wish your operations/programming colleagues would understand?  What is the biggest “takeaway” from this session?
13. Thank you  Carole Desgroppes, Manager, Programs, Marketing and Assessments California State University, Dominguez Hills (310) 243-3854 cdesgroppes@csudh.edu  Michal Jankowski, Operations Coordinator California State University, Northridge (818) 677-6577 michal.jankowski@csun.edu